I remember the old bootleg Album from back in the day, but hadn't really listened to this one in a while. I've got to say that this may be my favorite show of theirs, ever. The reasoning for this possibly being the Zenith of their career is as follows. They had really learned how to play and were growing as musicians almost by the day. Every song is all meat and no fat. No noodley flybys on passages. These songs are to the fucking point. Not an iota of meandering (this drove me nuts later in their career). Pig and Keith together, simply great!. No Donna. Pig is in excellent voice and the boys are simply the best backing blues band in the world at this point in time. The band brings everything they have into this performance. Garcia and Weir's volcals are top notch. Check out Saturday Night for Bobby's vocal assault. Check out Comes a Time for some of the most heart wrenching soul dripping from Garcia's voice. This show is simply astonishing. The Truckin is absolutely on fire. Not a dud in the entire show. Great set list. The NYC crowd is simply nuts. You can feel the buzz coming through the speakers. I could give a dissertation on each song but will spare you. Get some good headphones and treat yourself to this masterpiece.
In one word: Fierce.

These were my first set of shows that I attended and indeed they were lifechanging. Garcia had already stepped down as steel player for NRPS. I believe this happened in late Oct. or early Nov.Buddy Cage was no slouch by any stretch of the imagination. As a matter of fact that's him playing pedal steel on Dylan's Blood on the Tracks. I was 17 and the boys just fuckin' blew me away!! Had no clue at the time how much they would get in my blood. Had a pretty good idea by the time I walked out of my first show the nite before wondering how I was gonna score tix for the next few nites! Luckily for me I had friends who were into the Dead before me and they had plenty of tix to go around.

Have to second everything Tony said...my "first" show, 7 hours glued to the stereo, taped every second...the dead air, the Scott Muni interviews, the fabulous NRPS set with Jerry on Pedal steel. My favorite Straw, Tennessee, Brown-Eyed, Ramblin. By the end of Tennessee Jed, I was singing along, and it was the first time I had ever heard the song!

Four 90-minute cassettes that became worn out over the years. I probably considered myself a Dead Head before, but this night made it official.
I am at this very second burning a set of disks for a friend.

Go here for the New Riders set:

http://www.archive.org/details/nrps1971-12-05.shnf

I LOVE this show! This was kinda my "first" show - although I didn't actually attend, I listened to the simulcast on WNEW, and spent countless hours over the years listening to pretty poor recordings of it. To this day, it remains one of my all time faves. I don't think it's a great show in the sense of having long, spacey 2nd-set jams (although the Dark Star jam is pretty amazing) but what makes it great for me is the perfect renditions of what are usually 1st-set songs, especially those that are brand new here. Jerry's phrasing during these songs is just incredible! Songs like Jack Straw, Tenn. Jed, Ramble On Rose, Brown Eyed Women - I always thought these versions were so much better than those that would appear on Europe '72. Big Railroad Blues is sizzling and love the Going Down the Road with the China Cat tease! Late '71 has to be one of my favorite eras. Nice to find something where the sound is so much better than on the tapes I grew up with. A big "thank-you" to Don Rohde & Phil Matera for making this available.

Its a great show - but there is nothing "pre-fm" here (or, at least in the other copies that make such claims) - the audible static would be the giveaway.

All of these share the same static...pre-FM would be static free...

Still - the most riveting "Comes A Time" ever...

What an incredible show! Shades of what was to come in 72. Every performance is perfection.
Muddy Water is a rare treat and this version of Tennessee Jed is one of the best ever with a lot of jump to it. Comes a Time is just gorgeous. This is pointless... I'm just going to name every song!
A gem of a performance.

What a concert! Best BERTHA? ... Super SUGAR MAGNOLIA... Super TRUCKIN'... Pigpen in good voice!
My tape was a 2nd or 3rd gen from one of the guys who taped it from the FM. Since that was almost 40 years ago you can imagine what's happened to my tape....also we did loose some when we flipped the reels...
Does any out there have a better than MP3 quality copy that's complete or near complete?
Please email.

This show contains possibly the best Truckin' jam ever played. Check out (carefully) what Jerry and Bobby do after the reprise verse.
Also overlooked, partly because of weakness in the mix in the beginning of the show: Phil in Bertha.
The man is telling a story. This is a unique performance, by Phil, in Bertha.

It's too bad there's not a better board available.

Went to this run. The only time I ever fell asleep at a show. Just "DEAD" tired. I think it was the 3rd show. Maybe the one I met these 2 girls and.........
I remember Pig looking weak. Felt bad. Pig was missing from some of this run as I recall.
Good Venue. Easy to get to from Queens.
Miss the boys.

Long gone are the days... but here is the archive. It Gives me the strength and the memories of the best time of my life. The best antidepressant on the market. I swallow my dose daily with a perm-a-grin...;)

Comes a Time -- An empty cup only Jerry can fill.

Perhaps one of his finest singing performances.

--- Happy Birthday Jerry

--- Happy Birthday All

Stellar show, longtime old favourite, crisp crisp crisp. There is such a huge gap between the sound of my old worn out cut up tape of a tape of a record of a tape of a radio broadcast and THIS.At least that echo is still there with all the vibe and banter. Such an adventurous show.

Just d/l'd this one of etree. You can see that there's gonna be a lot of psyched heads out there from show reviews here and elsewhere longing for a cleaner soundboard copy. Thanks Phil & co for the hard work and sharing!!

After spending a good chunk of the past few years becoming a trekkie-like collector of shows, I had to put my favorite hobby on hold as the last 8 months of my life have turned to a steaming pile of poo, and getting new shows to give away and trade fell off my radar. Things are turning around for the better all at once and now I'm back baby, and this show is like my Welcome Home. What a great welcome it is, right from Bill Graham's intro on through! This show is tremendous, and I just love '71

Thanks again and big love to all who keep the music flowing!